Flushing apparatus.



0. A. LEMING. FLUSHI NG APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED JA1L15. 1912.

1,066,125. I Patented July 1, 1913.

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G. A. LBMING. PLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.15. 1912.

Patented July 1, 1913.

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CHARLES A. LEMING, OF CONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE II-IIRD TO ALOYS H. BRINKER AND ONE-THIRD TO CLARENCE FOSTER, BOTH OF HAMILTON,

OHIO.

FLUSHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 1, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLus A. LEMING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Connersvill-e, in thecounty of Fayette and State of Indiana, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Flushing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to flushing apparatus in which a valve is automatically closed after it has been opened to admit water into the closet or other part to be flushed.

It is the object of the invention to provide a simple and etlicient apparatus of this kind which will operate under any pressure and which will handle muddy, sandy and any other kind of water.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flushing apparatus which is noiseless, and also to so arrange and locate the, working parts that they are not exposed to the corroding and other injurious influences of the water.

The invention also has for its object to provide means for varying the speed at which the valve closes.

With these and other objects in view as will appear when the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in a novel construction and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that the invention may. be better understood, reference is had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which drawings Figure l is a plan view of the apparatus. Figs. 2 and 3 are elevations thereof taken from opposite sides, Fig. 2 being shown partly broken away.

Referring specifically to the drawings, 10 denotes the casing of an ordinary globe valve having its inlet 11 connected t the source of water supply, and its outlet 12 to the closet or other apparatus to be flushed. The valve proper 13 is a reciprocating valve, and has connected to its stem 14 one end of an operating lever 15, the other end of said lever being connected to the closing mechanism as will be presently described. The lever is fulcrum'ed intermediate itsends on a post 16 suitably mounted on the valve casing 10.

To the ends of the valve casing are secured bracket arms 17 which support a base plate 18 at their outer ends, on which plate the closing mechanism is mounted, the entire mechanism being therefore located outside the valve and not exposed to the corroding and other injurious influences of the Water, and therefore less liable to get out of order, and the mechanism is also rendered readily accessible for adjustment and repairs.

On the base plate 18 are mounted bearings 19 which support a horizontal shaft 20 carrying, loosely, a housing 21 inclosing a spiral spring 22 one end of which is fastened to the shaftand its other end to the housing. A suitable pawl-and-ratchet device 23 is provided to preventthe spring from unwinding.

On the shaft 20 is also loosely mounted a worm gear 24 to one side of which is made fast a ratchet disk 25. To the housing 21 is rigidly secured a handlever 26 carrying a spring-pressed pivoted pawl 27 which engages the teeth of the ratchet disk 25. The hand-lever 26 is also connected to the lever 15 by a pivoted link which is in two telescoping sections 28 and 29, respectively, which are held against endwise separation by a transverse pin 30 carried by the section 28 and extending into a slot 31 in the section 29.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the rotary movement imparted to the housing 21 by the spring 22 is transmitted to the worm gear 24: through the pawl 27 and ratchet disk 25. The rotation of the casing also swings the hand-lever 26 in a vertical plane, and as said hand-lever is linked to the lever 15, the latter is actuated to operate the valve 13, the parts moving in a direction to close the valve.

In operation, the hand-lever 26 is swung downward against the tension of the spring 22, whereupon, through the lever 15, the valve 13 is opened. Upon releasing the hand-lever, the latter automatically swings upward and closes the valve.

The speed atwhich the valve 13 isclosed is controlled by an adjustable governor comprising the following parts: Mounted in suitable bearings on the base plate 18 is a vertical shaft 32 having a worm 33 which is in mesh with the gear 24. On the shaft 32 is also fast a gear 34 which meshes with a pinion 35 carried by a short vertical shaft 36 mounted in a suitable bearing on the base plate. On the shaft 36 is a gear 37 which meshes with a pinion 38 on the shaft 39 of an ordinary centrifugal speed governor supported by a bracket 40 carried by the base plate 18. A sleeve 41 is slidably mounted on the shaft 39 and has connected to it one end of the springs 42 of the governor-weights 43. The sleeve 41 has a brake disk 44, the top face of which is adapted to be engaged by a brake-shoe 45 carried by one of the branches 46 of a bell-crank lever which is fulcrumed on the bracket L0. The other branch 47 of the bell-crank lever is engageable by one end of a screw 48 which is threaded through an ear 49 extending sidewis'e from the bracket 40. The screw 48 is adapted to be screwed against the branch 47 whereby the shoe 45 is held down on the disk 44 with more or less pressure, and thus serves as a brake to regulate the speed of the governor, and as the latter is geared to the valve operating means herein described, it will be evident that the speed of the closing movement is readily retarded or accelerated, and varied at will, by adjusting the screw as. That end of the screw which engages the bell-crank lever carries a pin 50 which engages a flat spring 51 carried by the branch 4L7.

I claim:

1. The combination with a valve; of an operating lever connected therewith, a shaft, a housing loose on the shaft, a spring inclosed in the housing and arranged to rotate the same, a hand-lever connected to the 7 housing, a gear loose on the shaft, a governor geared'to said gear, a ratchet carried by the gear, a pawl carried by the hand-lever and engaging the ratchet, and a connection between the operating lever and the handlever.

The combination with a valve; of an operating lever connected therewith, a shaft, a hand-lever, a support for the handlever loosely mounted on the shaft, a spring connected to the support for swinging the handlever, a gear loose on the shaft, a governor geared to said gear, a ratchet carried by the gear, a pawl carried by the hand-lever and engaging the ratchet, and a connection between the operating lever and the handlever,

3. The combination with a valve; of an operating lever connected therewith, a shaft, a hand lever, a support for the hand lever loosely mounted on the shaft, a spring con nected to the support for swinging the hand lever, a gear loose on the shaft, a governor geared to said gear, a ratchet carried by the gear, a pawl carried by the hand lever and engaging the ratchet, and aconnection be: tween the operating lever and the hand lever, said connection comprising telescopi' cally connected sections,

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. LEMING.

lVitnesses FRANK M. EDWARDS, MATIE MooRE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

